Replies

From UK - thanks for the post and the kind words. Thank God the plan was foiled. How much good our (and your) security services do often goes unnoticed (sometimes it has to for security reasons).

Strange but true, Ian Blair is under fierce attack here and has gone public saying that he might have to resign - over the inquiry into the shooting of the Brazilian chap on the tube. Heck it was a tragedy - an my heart goes out to his family - but in war (and this is) these things happen. Learn the lesson, dust yourself down and get on with it.

After the 7/7 here the spotlight is on our police! It makes you want to weep.... When all is said and done there is much more support for USA here than you would believe from the media - the chattering classes make all the headlines. Warm regards,

After the 7/7 here the spotlight is on our police!

Being in the UK, perhaps you have heard the answer to this question: Has any link been found between the 7/7 and 7/21 bombers?

I'm glad to hear it! and that a tragedy, or rather an atrocity, was avoided.

From UK - thanks for the post and the kind words.

You're quite welcome, but I feel that it's very easy to express sentiments of solidarity and gratitude toward one of the very few nations that has, at great personal risk, taken the initiative to stand alongside us in this war on terror. During these dark and difficult times we are finding out who our true friends are, and none are truer than our British Friends. One day we will be able to look back upon the trials that we have experienced together and our great successes....a Middle East transformed into a functional, sane region and millions of people freed from Islamofascist tyranny.....and know that we can do anything at all when we stand together, because we stand for what is good and right. Generations of the future will look back and marvel at the great accomplishments of these times, which would not have been possible for the United States to do alone.

Thank God the plan was foiled. How much good our (and your) security services do often goes unnoticed (sometimes it has to for security reasons).

Yes, I am also very thankful that a degree of secrecy exists, despite our active Left who masquerade as 'media watchdogs' but in reality do their utmost to work for our defeat in this war. Fortunately, the adults are still in charge of the police services :-)

Strange but true, Ian Blair is under fierce attack here and has gone public saying that he might have to resign - over the inquiry into the shooting of the Brazilian chap on the tube. Heck it was a tragedy - an my heart goes out to his family - but in war (and this is) these things happen. Learn the lesson, dust yourself down and get on with it.

It's a shame that he is experiencing so much pressure over this incident....it's completely wrong and unjustified for him to be under fire. Some extremely basic and obvious rules were broken by the man who was killed. Among them:

When you have Middle-Eastern appearing features or could be thought of as having such features, you don't

1. Wear heavy and bulky overcoats on a warm day with wires hanging out of the pockets

2. Fail to stop when law enforcement officers order you to.

3. Run into a popular terror target when you've been ordered to stop.

Of course there could have been misunderstandings and it was certainly a tragedy, but my great hope is that the police will not be cowed into inaction as a result of this. He could have just as easily been a terrorist, and the safety of the public is paramount. My hope is that Ian Blair will be able to overcome these difficulties and press on with the job at hand.

After the 7/7 here the spotlight is on our police! It makes you want to weep....

You have my sympathies. Things are very bad in that regard here, with our police having their hands tied and prevented from doing their jobs in so many ways. The criminals truly have the upper hand and it's a very difficult fight to maintain order. The police have my respect for being able to go to work every day and face this sort of thing.

When all is said and done there is much more support for USA here than you would believe from the media - the chattering classes make all the headlines.

That's wonderful to hear! Thank GOD for the internet, and the free flow of information that it provides without the filter of the Leftist-dominated media.

Warm regards,

And to you as well :-)

Pardon me, but you sound like you might be able to help me out with a few suggestions on planning a future trip to the UK:

I have mostly English heritage and someday I'd like to take my wife and kids over there on vacation. I don't feel obligated to go to the usual tourist spots. I'm an American conservative and a big Bush supporter; I don't feel inclined to say anything about this to people on my trip, just giving you some background.

Can you recommend some places to go/things to do that might accomplish the following:

1. Avoid the "chattering classes" and/or people who might like to hone in on my accent and attempt to score points against me/my family about Bush/the Iraq war. I have found in the past that when in a foreign land, idiots and louts will have no hesitancy to try to insult you (even possibly in front of your children, however small), particularly if you're American (OK, maybe I just had a bad time in Germany once).

2. Meet some "regular people" that exemplify positive values you yourself might admire.

3. If it's a Sunday morning I would want to attend church; I'm a protestant. Should I just wander around until I see a church with people in it, or is there an alternative strategy? Also, when are service times? Most churches in my area begin the main service around 10:30. Also, I suppose I wouldn't be really interested in venturing into Muslim neighborhoods, though I have only a vague idea where those are.

Keep in mind that I'm dubious about driving/renting a car on my first family trip to the UK; I would probably freak out driving on the opposite side of the road, and I only have a New Jersey license in any case.

Also, you might find this odd, but I don't own a cell phone. Additionally, although I would plan to do a lot of internet-based research prior to my trip, I would assume that I would be "cut off" once I was landed in the country.

As an aside I have a personal interest in financial history and investment management - London and Edinburgh have a big role in this to my knowledge but I'm not aware of anything I could do on a vacation to drill into that.

It's a full plate of quesitons, just want to see if you can respond to any of them. In the final analysis, perhaps I should just shoot for a "package tour", but your comments might help me modify what the package would focus on/where it would go.